Underwear garment



c. MIWALKER.

UNDERWEAR GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-5.1921.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922;

[N l 'N T 0/8 Men CYRUS m. WALKER, or KANSAS crrir, mrssoum,

UNDERWEAR GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 15,- 1922.

- Application filed August 5, 1921. Serial No. 489,950.

i be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ,appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying-drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form 'a part of this specification.

My invention relates to underwear, and

, more particularly to a garment of the union suit type, wherein the upper and lower members are connected by an elastic band to re- -liev strain on the garment proper When the body of the wearer is bent, and thereby avoid tearing at the seams-. While an elastic band of ordinary construction is usually suflicient to prevent tearing of the garment, it is pos- "sible in extreme cases for the band to reach its elastic limit and yield to the jstrain and pull of the garment, and it is to obviate .such a possibility that I have devised the present improvement, consisting of ,a reeni'orcing' member of elastic material, substantially similar to' the waist band, butwherein'the wales extend at right angles thereto, so that they will yield to initial expansion-of the waist band and hold before the limit of stretch of the waist band is reached, and prevent the damage Which might otherwise occur.

In the accompanying-drawings, I have illustrated my invention as applied to a union suit, and

In. the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of such a garment, including my improvement.

Fig. '2 is an enlarged, detail, perspective view of the upper and lower'members of the garment, with the connecting Waist band, illustrating myv stretch limiting member.

Fig, 3 is a detail perspective view of the inscilert before its'application to the garment, an a Fig. 4 is an enlarged, sectional viewof a portion of'one of the garment members, a p ortion of the waist band and a portion of the insert, showing their assembled relations.

I Referring more detail to the drawings:

1 designates the-upper and 2 the lower garment members, connected by an'ordinary elastic band 3, which usually consists of knitted fabric with the Wales running longitudinally of the band. 4 designates the insert which may be of the same material as the waist-band and consists of a piece of material of greater length than the Width of,

the band so that there is a slack in the insert when the garment is in normal condition. The ends of the insert are stitched to the garment members with the waist band so that the slack occurs between the ends and across the band.

In applying the insert to the garment, the ends to be stitched into the garment are extended to nearly their elastic limit so that when the stretch occurs upon bending of the wearers 'body, the expansion is diagonally across the insert rather thandirectly at right angles to the Waist band thereby effecting' distribution of the strain over a,

greater area, and decreasing tendency of the garment to tear at the seams. t,

It is apparent that the insert may be a plied to the shoulder elastic as well as to t e waist band; although the stretch of the waist band will relieve the garment if strain is applied at the shoulder, and it is further apparent thatthe improvement is adapted for use with garments of any ordinary or Well known construction.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters-Patent is:

1. In combination with a garment comprising upper and lower members and a connecting waist band, an elastic insert having its wales extending across the waist band andhaving its and edges secured tothe garment at the upper and lower edges of'the band and having a fullness between its ends, the end edges of the insert being held secured in a condition of expansion at-r ap- Y proximately the elastic limit of said insert.

2. The method of. reinforcing garments. comprising upper and lower members and an elastic waist band, whichconsistsin providing an elastic insert, the length of which isgreater than the widthof the band, in-' itiallystretching the ends of the elastic insert to approximately their elastic limit, and

sewing the ends thus stretched to the garment at the edges of the band.

In testimony whereof I aflix my sigfilature. CYRUS M. WA'L ER. 

